“It’s definitely a strain,”: NH Respiratory Therapist talks demanding second wave SHARE ON: Northern Health Respiratory Therapist Richelle Maser works at the University Hospital in PG. Photo supplied Dan Videtech) If nurses are considered the backbone of any hospital, respiratory therapists (RT) can’t be too far behind. Enter Richelle Maser. She is one of a small team of RT’s who have been working at a break-neck pace since the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which eventually led to dramatic spikes in the number of hospitalizations and those requiring critical care at Prince George’s University Hospital.